Final Reports of the Stardust ISPE: Seven Probable Interstellar Dust Particles

The Stardust spacecraft carried the first spaceborne collector specifically designed to capture and return a sample of contemporary interstellar dust to terrestrial laboratories for analysis [1]. The collector was exposed to the interstellar dust stream in two periods in 2000 and 2002 with a total exposure of approximately 1.8 10(exp 6) square meters sec. Approximately 85% of the collector consisted of aerogel, and the remainder consisted of Al foils. The Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination (ISPE) was a consortiumbased effort to characterize the collection in sufficient detail to enable future investigators to make informed sample requests. Among the questions to be answered were these: How many impacts are consistent in their characteristics with interstellar dust, with interplanetary dust, and with secondary ejecta from impacts on the spacecraft? Are the materials amorphous or crystalline? Are organics detectable? An additional goal of the ISPE was to develop or refine the techniques for preparation, analysis, and curation of these tiny samples, expected to be approximately 1 picogram or smaller, roughly three orders of magnitude smaller in mass than the samples in other small particle collections in NASA's collections - the cometary samples returned by Stardust, and the collection of Interplanetary Dust Particles collected in the stratosphere

Value-attenuation in service-dominant logic

AbstractThe benefits of co-creation of value, as proposed in the service-dominant logic of marketing, have become widely recognized. Yet, little is known about the outcomes of obstructions to this co-creation of value and the effects on firms, customers and their corresponding value networks. However, such instances are very common. In the case of retail out-of-stocks, customer actions affect not only the offering retailer, but also her value network. Addressing this, the paper proposes that service failures may lead to the reconfiguration of the customers’ value creation, and the consequential redistribution of value between and within value networks. The paper suggests that value-redistribution may lead to a hold-up situation in which value network partners refrain from cooperative investment in service failure prevention due to misalignments in the motivation of value network actors. The paper argues that as an outcome, value is attenuated on the actor and network level

A retail inventory policy for time-dependent cyclical demand

Fast-moving retail items follow a cyclical demand pattern depending on timing and marketing efforts. In our research, we observe the occurrence of intraday sales patterns. We therefore model an inventory policy accounting for intraday sales patterns by refitting the review period. We include lost sales, inventory holding and handling costs, and marketing efforts. Using actual transaction data, we compare this new policy to current practice, evaluating effects on customer service and total cost

Is there a diagnosis-specific influence of childhood trauma on later educational attainment? A machine learning analysis in a large help-seeking sample

AbstractBackground: Childhood adversities and trauma (CAT) are associated with poor functional outcome.However, the influence of the single CAT aspects on the risk of a poor functional outcome withindifferent mental disorders has not been investigated so far. Our aims were (i)to predict individualfunctional outcome based on CAT (ii)to examine whether the prediction power differs within differentdiagnostic groups (clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR), psychosis, affective disorders, anxiety disorders)(iii)to compare the specific patterns of CAT experiences, influencing functional outcomes in thesegroups.Method: Clinical data of 707 patients (mean age:25.09 years (SD=5.6), 65.5% male) of the Cologne EarlyRecognition and Intervention Center were assessed with the Trauma And Distress Scale. Functionaloutcome was estimated by the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale and schooleducational attainment. Using machine learning, we generated individualized models to predictfunctional outcome and to identify specific CAT patterns.Results: Across the entire sample, the best prediction for the functional outcome achieved a balancedaccuracy (BAC) of 0.6. After splitting into the single diagnostic groups, an improvement with best resultsin the psychosis group (BAC=0.70) was observed. Considering specific CAT patterns, the most predictiveitems depicted a positive and caring environment – or the absence of these, a positive self-image andexperiences of bullying.Conclusions: Our results indicated that CAT was differentially associated with functional outcome in thevarious mental disorders. Thus, the importance of mediating variables, that might explain theinterindividual differences in the vulnerability to CAT, like resilience factors, appeared to be crucial